MP Calls for Ambassadorial Level Ties with Egypt

Service : Politic

TEHRAN, April 3 (ICANA) – Vice Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission (NSFPC) of the Majlis Hossein Ebrahimi has called for improvement of diplomatic ties with Cairo in the wake of the recent developments in Egypt.

Sunday, April 03, 2011 10:08:09 PM

Referring to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi calling for closer ties with Iran, the senior lawmaker said improvement of relations with Cairo to the level of ambassador was imperative.

Ebrahimi told ICANA that conditions were ripe to open a new chapter in relations between the peoples of Iran and Egypt in the wake of the recent events and the coming to power of new leaders in Egypt.

Pointing to the cultural commonalties between Iran and Egypt, the MP said Egypt enjoyed strong cultural backgrounds and the presence of Al-Azhar University there was a brilliant point in the Egyptian culture. This is a point which will certainly help further strengthen interactions between the two nations.

The MP thanked Egypt for allowing Iranian warships to cross the Suez Canal and called the move a bright point in Iran's relations with new Egypt. He said Iran and post-Mubarak Egypt shared opposition to the Zionist regime of Israel. Improvement of Tehran-Cairo ties can help accelerate liberation of Palestine and elimination of Israel's shallow power.

Another member of the Iranian parliament said earlier Sunday that a number of lawmakers may visit Egypt in the wake of the positive signals exchanged between the foreign ministers of the two countries to improve diplomatic relations.

NSFPC member Fatemeh Alia told ICANA will take place at the request of the Egyptian parliament.

In the meantime, the lawmaker said, the NSFPC will study the situation in Egypt and will take step towards formation of a parliamentary friendship group if the Cairo government's policies were in coordination with Iran's general and parliamentary policies.

NSFPC Chairman Alaeddin Boroujerdi on Thursday described the re-establishment of official ties with Egypt as a significant opportunity for Iran's diplomatic apparatus.

“Iran's diplomatic apparatus and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should take operational steps towards establishment of official ties between the two countries,” said Boroujerdi.

In his first press conference as Egypt's foreign minister on Tuesday, Nabil al-Arabi said Cairo was ready to open "a new page with Iran."

Al-Arabi added that the Egyptian government does not see Iran as an enemy state, noting that the two countries have historically had deep relations.

Boroujerdi told ICANA that the establishment of diplomatic ties depends on the Iranian side. “Iran should seriously pursue the establishment of bilateral ties between Iran and Egypt,” he said.

Referring to the overthrow of Egypt's former despotic ruler, Boroujerdi said the security system of Hosni Mubarak's regime was the main obstacle to the establishment of relations between Tehran and Cairo.

“Fortunately, with the overthrow of this system and Egypt's internal developments, preparations for establishment of ties between the two countries have been provided.”

Eighteen days of anti-government protests in crisis-hit Egypt resulted in the historic overthrow of the 82-year-old former President Hosni Mubarak, who handed over power to a military council on February 11.